Workers at WildBrain’s animation studio in Vancouver, one of Canada’s biggest such facilities, are aiming to form a union. Hundreds of workers (the studio employs more than 800 artists, according to WildBrain) have already signed union support cards, says the Canadian Animation Guild (CAG), IATSE Local 938. CAG announced the move last night on X (formerly Twitter). 

WildBrain staffers are hosting a virtual town hall on September 6 to talk about the benefits of unionizing. A worker from Marvel, who helped that studio unionize, will be part of a panel and Q&A. IATSE also created a website with details about forming a union at the studio. Employees want increased wage minimums, guaranteed annual wage increases and improved benefits. 

WildBrain’s animation studio is behind Netflix series such as Johnny Test (originally for Kids’ WB!), Carmen Sandiego (pictured) and Sonic Prime (in partnership with SEGA). It has also produced Peanuts content for Apple TV+, including The Snoopy Show and Snoopy in Space. 

“We are aware of the IATSE social media post,” says Stephanie Betts, WildBrain’s chief content officer. “Our core values at WildBrain are centered around our people. We are committed to an artist-centric culture, and we believe in a respectful, inclusive and fair environment for everyone. We actively work to instill these values in everything we do, including ensuring that we are competitive within our industry. Everyone at WildBrain has a voice, and we look forward to keeping open lines of communication directly with our employees at all levels.”

The strikes in the US are top of mind for the industry, says William Gladman, an international representative for IATSE. Pair this with animators realizing how expendable they are because some are losing jobs during this current business downturn, and it’s laying the groundwork for employees to come together and demand change, he says. 

“Workers across Vancouver’s animation industry are feeling the heat as wages stay stagnant and Vancouver becomes a more expensive place to live,” says Gladman. He adds that workers are also becoming more aware that their counterparts in the US often have better wages and benefits. “It’s creating a moment where people are thinking: ‘We can have a bigger piece of the pie.’ WildBrain isn’t the only group trying to do this in Vancouver; they’re just the first to get here fastest.” 

WildBrain workers are still seeking support from their colleagues and are asking more of them to sign union support cards now. Once IATSE hits 55% of employees having signed a card, the BC Labour Board can certify the union as the employee’s exclusive bargaining agent. “There is still a little bit of work to get there,” says Gladman. 

IATSE 938 is Canada’s first animation local, and represents animation workers in British Columbia. Animators at Titmouse’s Vancouver studio joined IATSE in 2020, becoming the first Canadian animation studio to unionize. Gladman says its unionization kicked off a lot more interest in Vancouver’s animation industry around unions. 

Employees don’t want to destroy the business they work for, they just want stable jobs with better wages, benefits for when they’re in between studios and support so they can retire, according to Gladman. “You don’t see a lot of older people working in the industry, and people want to be able to live and retire doing what they love.”